Grain-shocking machine.



J. B. GRIFFITH.

GRAIN SHOCKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 0c'r.9.1912.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

atlmmag YHE NUR'RI5 PETERS 60.. PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON. 0. CV

J. E. GRIFFITH.

GRAIN SHOCKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 9, 1912.

1,1 17,836, Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Sum "e43 srn'rns ra OFFICE.

JESSE E. GRIFFITH, 0F ALBION, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO JOB E. GREEN AND ONE-FOURTH TO DANIEL V. BLATTER, BOTH OF ALBION, NEBRASKA.

GRAIN-SHOCKING MACHINE.

Application filed October 9, 1912.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Jnssn E. GRIFFITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Albion, in the county of Boone and State of Nebraska, have invented new and useful Improvements in Grain-Shocking Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to grain shocking machines and it is an improvement on the device of that class for which Letters Patent of the United States, No. 1080438, were issued to me on the second day of December, 1913.

The present invention has particular reference to the means for adjusting the wheels on which the shocker frame is supported to maintain said shocker frame in an approximately level position while traveling on ground which is not level, and the particular object of the invention is to provide simple and improved means whereby such adjustment may be effected.

A further object of the invention is to provide simple and effective means whereby the supporting wheels at the two sides of the shocker frame may be simultaneously adjusted in opposite directions, upwardly and downwardly with respect to the frame, thereby enabling said frame to be maintained in an approximately level position by relatively slight manipulation of the ad justing means.

With these and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention; it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the appended claims may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a top plan view of the frame of a grain shocker constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 22 in Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the supporting wheels adjusted to travel on a side hill. Fig. 4 is a detail side view Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

Serial No. 724,767.

of a portion of the device as viewed from the stubble side of the machine. Fig. 5 is a sectional detail view taken on the line Ci-"5 in Fig. 4.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference.

The frame structure of the improved device is constructed in all essential particulars on the lines of that which is shown in my pending application previously referred to. and it comprises a bottom frame having side members 1, 1 provided intermediate their front and rear ends with offsets 2, 2, the front ends of said side members being connected together by a cross bar 3. The side members 1, 1 are connected together in rear of the offsets 2 by a downwardly ofl'set cross bar Connected with and rising from the side members 1 of the bottom frame are front and rear uprights S and 9 which are tilted inwardly in the direction of the longitudinal center of the frame, and said uprights are connected with and serve to support a top frame which is composed of side members 11 and front and rear cross bars 12 and 13.

The shocker frame is supported by means of caster wheels 15 and 16 at the stubble side and at the grain side, respectively. The shanks on which said caster wheels are swiveled consist of rack bars 401 which are vertically slidable in sleeves or housings 402 which are connected with and supported on the shocker frame by means of suitable braces 403. The rack bars 401 are of noncircular cross section so that they will not be capable of vertical displacement due to actual rotation. The inner sides or faces of said housings are provided with slots 404 through which portions of the toothed-faces of the rack bars 401 are exposed, and adjacent to said slots are flanges 405 affording bearings for the lower ends of shafts 406, the upper ends of which are supported for rotation in suitable bearings on the side members 11 of the top frame. Said side members also support a transverse shaft 407 having a crank 408 whereby it may be rotated, and said shaft is provided with bevel gears 409 meshing with bevel pinions 410 on the shafts 406 which may be thus rotated. The shafts 406 are equipped with worm gears 411 engaging the rack bars 401 through the slots 404 in the housings 402.

The parts are so arranged that by rotating the shaft %07 motion will be transmitted to the rack bars 401 whereby one of said rack bars will be raised while the other rack bar is lowered with respect to the housings wherein said rack bars are supported.

It will be readily seen that by the simple device herein described the shocker frame may be supported in a level position, or approximately so, irrespective of the contour of the ground, and that the necessary I adjustment may be readily effected by simply rotating the shaft i0? the crank or handle of which is within convenient reach of the operator. It will also be seen that the parts are retained securely at any desired adjustment by the worm gears 411 engaging the rack bars 401, thereby dispensing with stop members and catches of any description.

I am, of course, aware that the adjustment of parts by an interengaging rack and worm gear has for a long time been practised. i am also aware that the adjustment of supporting wheels of harvesting machines hasbeen effected by such means in a broad sense. I am, furthermore, aware that the bearings of the supporting wheels of harvesting machines have been provided with nuts threaded upon screws which are supported for rotation to effect the adjustment of the bar and the wheel, vertically. I am not aware, however, that a supporting wheel in the nature of a caster wheel has been provided with a shank consisting of a rack bar of non-circular cross section, guided through a housing and engaged by a worm, thereby effecting vertical adjustment of the rack bar and the wheel to prevent accidental vertical displacement which would be liable to occur if the rack bar was in the nature of a screw, or of circular cross section.

Having thus fully described the inven tion, what is claimed as new, is

1. In a grain shocking machine a frame, caster wheels at the sides of said frame, and means including intermeshing worms and rack bars whereby the wheels may be vertically adjusted simultaneously in opposite directions and secured at the desired adjustment, said rack bars being of non-circular cross section and guided for vertical movement.

2. In a grain shocking machine a shocker frame having housings at the sides thereof, caster wheels having shanks consisting copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing of rack bars vertically slidable in said housings, said rack bars being of non-circular cross section, shafts having worms meshing with the rack bars, and means for simultaneously actuating the worm carrying shafts.

3. In a grain shocking machine, a shocker frame, vertically slidable shanks at the sides of said frame, said shanks being of noncircular cross section, caster wheels carried by said shanks, and means for simultaneously moving said shanks in opposite directions.

4. In a grain shocking machine a shocker frame having housings at the sides thereof, rack bars vertically slidable in the housings, said rack bars being of non-circularcross section, caster wheels'carried by the rack bars, worms engaging the rack bars, and means for simultaneously actuating the worms.

In a grain shocking machine a shocker frame having housings at the sides thereof, said housings being provided with slots in the sides thereof and with flanges adjacent the said slots, rack bars vertically slidable in the housings and having caster wheels at their lower ends, shafts supported for rotation by the flanges on the housings and having worms that engage the rack bars through the slots in the housings, and means for simultaneously actuating the shafts to effect adjustment of the wheel carrying rack bars.

6. In a grain shocking machine a shocker frame, housings supported rigidly at the sides thereof and having slots and flanges adjacent to said slots, rack bars slidable vertically in the housings and having caster wheels at their lower ends, shafts having bearings on the sides of the shocker frame and also in the flanges of the housings, worms on said shafts engaging the rack bars through the slots in the housings, a shaft supported transversely on the shocker frame and having a crank, and intermeshing bevel gears on said crankshaft and on the worm carrying shafts whereby, by turning the crank shaft, the rack bars will be simultaneously adjusted in opposite directions.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JESSE E. GRIFFITH.

Witnesses:

D. V. BLATTER, J. E. GREEN.

the Commissioner of Iatents,

Washington, D. G. 

